


across the universe

by fairyslush



Series: dépaysement [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: I AM STARTING A NEW LIFE, I DIDN'T SIN SOMEONE BE PROUD OF ME, M/M, THIS IS NOT A SIN AGAINST GOD AND HIS CREATION, alien au that no one asked for someone kill me, also maybe hw's birthday fic, i am hwh trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 02:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5726767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyslush/pseuds/fairyslush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hoseok was ten when he was smitten by an alien whose eyes reflected every color possible in his world. </p><p>(inspired by baek yerin's across the universe. please give it a listen.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	across the universe

he is ten when he is woken up by incessant beeping and a bright light seeping through the small opening of his window.

hoseok is ten and he is fascinated by space. he has had his parents change his wallpapers to an approximate replica of the andromeda galaxy, and glow-in-the dark stars litter his walls and his ceiling. the low light from these stick-ons now welcome his sleep-riddled eyes, and he yawns into a small, white palm as he pulls himself out of bed to check out the commotion.

he peeks out of the window and squints--the light was too bright for him to see anything.

curious, hoseok rubs his eyes and runs downstairs, wanting to investigate the commotion happening in his yard. he, after all, is a firm believer of aliens, and if those NASA documentaries on national geographic were accurate, he is considerably close to an encounter right now. he slips on his yard slippers and prepares to head out, thinking twice as he walks back to arm himself with his mother's umbrella--pink! her favorite--before running outside to welcome whatever being landed on his lawn.

he squints at the bright lights coming from somewhere he could not see, but his chocolate hues could make out the slightest silhouette beneath all the whiteness. he grips his umbrella tight, quite aware that not all aliens were friendly, and he will have to be the one to protect his home if this one turns out to be malevolent. _i could be a hero_ , he thinks, but he shakes his head to avoid getting further distracted.

soon enough, the lights begin to dim, the incessant beeping now reduced to a low hum. hoseok allows his eyes to adjust to the new lighting, blinking back the dark spots that litter his vision. the surroundings clear after he has rubbed his peepers, and his jaw almost drops to the floor with what--or _who_ \--stands before him.

a boy--or what he _thinks_ is a boy--of his age descends from the hovering craft, and his golden hair shines under its aluminum reflection. his features were soft yet chiseled, edgy yet smooth, and the ten year old finds it impossible to find the proper words to describe his beauty. his skin holds a warm glow, a tell-tale sign that he is not human, but hoseok can barely focus on that when every possible color swam upon the creature's sharp, but doe-like eyes.

those diverse pools lands upon his monochrome own, and hoseok flinches when they flash red, silver, and blue.

"i--" he stutters, gripping his umbrella hard just in case the creature attacks, but he raises his hand and forms a small v with his four fingers. _it worked in a movie,_ he thinks and hopes "i come in _peace_!"

the ethereal being blinks at him with sleepy hues, flashing purple and pink and gold all at once. his mouth opens (hoseok notes that those tiers are the softest and smoothest pair he has laid his eyes on) and a foreign language escapes from the parting in syllables he does not understand. the creature shakes his head and clears his throat, his fingers playing with some lights on the choker attached to his neck.

"i _too_ , come in peace." he finally says, and hoseok swears that his was the smoothest voice he has ever heard in his lifetime.

there is silence, and hoseok fumbles over all the questions in his excited head to choose one to ask first. is he an _alien_? which _planet_ did he come from? which _galaxy_ did he come from? did he come to invade? will an army be attacking? but before he could even open his mouth to form a query, the extraterrestrial before him already broke the silence.

"you are a human, correct?" he asks, his speech sounding more formal than what he was used to. hoseok finds it fascinating, endearing at the very least.

"yes!" hoseok answers excitedly, nodding along with his affirmative. "are you an alien?"

the creature gives a most thoughtful look, chuckling once at the term. "is that what you call our kind?"

hoseok hums. "mhm. so you are one, _right_?"

"correct." the creature answers, nodding. hoseok is enthralled.

"wow." hoseok gapes, his eyes filling with admiration and awe at the celestial being that stood before him. his classmates are sure in for a surprise when he tells them that he has met an alien-- _a real life alien!_ \--in his backyard. "have you come to make some earth _friends_?" he asks, trying his luck.

"not really, no." comes the being's quick answer. hoseok's face falls a little. "i accidentally overused some of the hyperdrive features of this spaceship, and i was forced to make an emergency landing, lest i crash on an unsuspecting house." he sounds a bit sheepish in his speech. " _luckily_ , i found a yard that was big enough to land in."

hoseok feels a bit of pride. his father did enjoy having a spacious lawn.

"so?" hoseok asks, bouncing a bit on his toes at the prospect of his new alien friend staying until fuel arrives. "how are you gonna fly back?"

the creature gives a knowing smile, brandishing a sleek, white staff with glowing green and red lights.

"i would have to find a substitute." he begins, waving the staff around in the air and frowning when it only registered reds and oranges. "the chemicals in our planet and the chemicals in yours do not really vary in composition, just in name." he walks a few feet away from where he first stood, moving the staff's sensors around a bush. red. he sighs in slight disappointment "hopefully it would be easier to find."

hoseok juts his bottom lip out, rocking on his heels, itching to help. he doesn't think any of his mum's bonsai plants would hold anything more than what the bushes did. he opens his mouth to speak before biting down on his lip, unsure if it was safe to let an alien inside his home. but he feels a certain pang of pity whenever the creature's ethereal features fall at every beep of red and orange, so he decides to be a good host and prays that he is not making the wrong decision.

"hey!" he calls out, walking towards the creature and poking him lightly on his shoulder. up close, hoseok notes that he smells like a wonderful mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clean laundry. he inhales as much as he can.

the creature pauses his inspection of the other surrounding bushes. hoseok notices that the alien towers over him by a few good inches. "yes?" he asks.

"uh--" hoseok stutters out his syllables, feeling smaller under the creature's diverse gaze--pink and purple, this time around. "i don't think you can find any different compositions out here in our yard. they're all the same plants after all." the creature blinks and tilts his head to the side, obviously confused. hoseok takes this as a cue to continue. "um..maybe you can find something...uh..." he motions towards his house's double doors. " _inside_?"

pink, blue, and green flash upon the being's eyes--a possible sign of contemplation. "if it would not be a _bother_ , then please let me inspect inside." his tone is that of a soft request. hoseok's concerns for safety has been completely eradicated. he walks towards the doors and opens it slowly, careful to not make any unnecessary sounds that could wake up his sleeping parents. after all, his mother will not be impressed if she finds out that her son is that lax with extraterrestrial strangers.

the said stranger stops in front of the doorway, his hues flashing grey and deep blue. he looks unsure.

"you _can_ come in, you know!" hoseok assures, turning on his mega-watt smile. his teachers always did say it works wonders. "you just gotta be quiet and stuff--i don't want mum and dad to wake up at this hour, after all."

the creature chews on his bottom lip before speaking. "this is your home, correct?" he blinks a few, and his hues transition between deep blue to light gray until it settles on a solemn hazel. hoseok nods, and the being continues. "it is customary in our region to introduce oneself before going into a family's home." his eyes are swimming with pure gold with his pause. "my true name may be hard for you to pronounce, but you may call me _hyungwon_." he offers a hand to shake. "you are?"

hoseok is so enthralled by his gentle formality that he almost forgets to answer. " _hoseok_." he takes the creatures hand, his cheeks coloring pink when the other gave it a small squeeze. hyungwon is soft and warm, and hoseok thinks it is a most pleasant surprise.

"we are now acquainted, hoseok." hyungwon states, before letting himself inside hoseok's home.

once inside, the staff in hyungwon's hand begins glowing a soft chartreuse, and the alien's eyes glow with yellow as he follows its vague directions. "there is something in here that would suffice." hyungwon motions, excitement obvious in his tone as he makes his own way inside hoseok's home. hoseok notes that the way he was taking was towards the kitchen, and he wonders what kind of chemical composition an alien's spaceship would require for it to be found among cutlery and butter.

hyungwon waves the staff around slowly, his now-green eyes waiting for the lights on the staff to match his current hues. from a soft chartreuse, the light glows a bright yellow green, before finally settling on a gentle emerald when it lands upon the fridge. hoseok blinks, a bit confused that whatever fuel an alien needed would be found inside the fridge, but he nonetheless moves forward to open its metal doors.

"a miniature _storage_." hyungwon mouths, obviously in awe. he waves the staff around the peculiar things stacked inside the cold box, and the lights glow its brightest green upon a carton of whole milk. hoseok bites back a chuckle upon seeing this.

" _milk_?" he fetches the box from where it sits, giving it a little shake. half-full, he thinks. "that's weird."

"how so?" hyungwon blinks, his hues glowing a confused orange. "according to my sensors, it has phospolipids, glucose, and galactose, plus the proper levels of acidity. is that..." he pauses. " _milk_ not used for fuel in your world?"

"hm." hoseok hums, chuckling a bit at the other's reaction. "not in the way you might use it. how much do you need, though?"

hyungwon has his hand outstretched, and hoseok places the milk carton upon his open palm. hyungwon examines its weight "would you have a box or two more of this milk, you call?"

hoseok taps his chin, humming in thought. "ah!" with a quick move, he hoists himself up the kitchen counter, opening one of the cupboards to unearth two unopened cartons of whole milk. he has no clue how he would explain where the milk has gone the next morning, but he has the rest of the night to think of how to face the repercussions.

"here!" he presents the two boxes excitedly, and hyungwon takes them with obvious gratitude. his eyes are glowing a soft lavender-blue, and hoseok takes it as gentle thanks. "this would be enough, right?"

"perfect." hyungwon gives him a smile, and hoseok forgets about any other repercussions.

they go back outside after their little scavenge, and hyungwon was quick to pour out all of the contents of the milk boxes into his space ship's fuel chute. within seconds, the low hum of the engine converts into something livelier, accompanied by rythmic beeps that sound every other second. satisfied with the outcome, hyungwon claps, facing the human boy behind him with the brightest smile painted upon his ethereal visage. hoseok thinks he now knows the definition of " _smitten_ "

"i do not know how i could thank you, hoseok." hyungwon gushes, and hoseok thinks that the way the blonde alien pronounces his name is enough form of gratitude. "i think i have enough fuel now to go home. how could i ever repay you?"

hoseok opens his mouth to say no, he does not need any form of payment, but the ethereal being has already run back up his spaceship before he could even utter a word. a beat passes, and hyungwon comes back bearing a gem of some sorts, and its surface reflects the ever changing hues of his diverse peepers.

"something to remember me by." hyungwon offers, taking hoseok's hand and placing the gem upon the center of his palm. the gem feels warm, and it holds a bright glow, almost matching the brightness of the lights that surround the hovering spaceship. "i have a feeling that this is not our last meeting, so i do hope you hold onto it. it glows when i am near."

hoseok nods, keeping the gem secure in his closed knuckle. hyungwon gives him a final smile before ascending upon his ship, and it only took mere seconds for it to disappear into the night sky. hoseok checks the small gem. it is still warm, but its glow grows fainter and fainter with every passing moment.

a yawn escapes his mouth and he suddenly remembers that he still needs to sleep. he returns to his room, the glow-in-the dark stars glowing with a faint iridescence, and he falls back into slumber with the gem secure under his pillow.

 

*******

  
hoseok is twelve when he begins to sleep with his windows slightly open. he holds no fear of thieves or murderers--his father's security system has long been improved to keep the wrongdoers out for good. he wears the gem that hyungwon gave him on a chain that hangs upon his neck, and he gets excited whenever it sports even the faintest of glows.

"he must be in the system" he mutters, rubbing the smooth orb between his thumb and his forefinger. he looks out of his open windows every night before sleep, and he wishes that the bright star onto his left was an oncoming spaceship.

at fifteen, hoseok picks up a habit of drinking coffee, not to stay up, but to reminisce. the nutmeg and the cinnamon sitting on the milky foam reminds him of the blonde alien he has yet to meet again. he does not meet him that year, but he remembers. the gem on his chest is as warm as his cup.

he is seventeen when he gives up on waiting. the necklace hangs upon his neck like he hangs upon hope.

at twenty, hoseok finds himself studying stars in university, yet the alien he has met a decade ago sits in a forgotten corner of his conscious. he does not remember where the gem that always sits in his pocket came from, but it gives him a certain sense of hope, a certain sense of safety. he keeps it between his thumb and his forefinger during times of anxiety, and he breathes easier when it is in his palm.

 

*******

  
he is at a train station when the gem begins to glow in his pocket.

hoseok is twenty-two and he is running late for work, but nothing he does can make the glow of the gem turn down. he contemplates throwing it in the trash and leaving it for some homeless man to find, but he does not have it in his heart to let it go, he fishes the glowing gem out from his pocket, and he squints at the brightness, flashing purple, pink, and gold all at once.

_purple, pink, and gold--all at once._

suddenly, he remembers.

he remembers being ten years old, woken up by incessant beeping and the bright lights of some hovering spaceship. he remembers running out of the house in his pajamas, bearing nothing but his mother's pink umbrella as protection. he remembers squinting at the lights on his lawn, remembers his reflection on the ship's aluminum surface. most of all, he remembers the ethereal alien that descended from the ship, how his golden hair shone under the moonlight, how his eyes shifted to every known hue with each fleeting emotion.

he remembers purple, pink, and gold, blinding yellow and calm green. he remembers a deep ocean blue.

 _hyungwon._ he remembers hyungwon.

" _it glows when i am near_." hoseok recalls, and he runs out of the station the exact moment the train arrives. he wrestles against the sudden influx of people, his hand tight upon the gem, feeling incredibly scared of losing it in the crowd. he escapes unscathed, but he is lost the moment he steps out into the noontime streets. he checks the gem, still glowing, and he takes a deep breath and says a short prayer of hope as he begins to run again.

he follows the gem's peculiar glow, moving towards the direction where its shine becomes brighter and its warmth becomes more intense. he runs through crowded streets, winds between secluded alleys, and almost crashes into traffic if he wasn't stopped by the metro guard. he continues his journey, though, and it leads him further and further from the city, the ache in his legs reduced to a second thought at the prospect of meeting the alien again.

he stops by a cliff that overlooks the city, and his breath hitches in his throat at the figure that stood before him.

hyungwon is taller, broader, yet his features remain the perfect mix of soft yet chiseled, edgy yet smooth. his skin retains the subtle glow, his hair still a majestic gold, yet hoseok is enthralled again by his eyes--his beautiful, _beautiful_ eyes that flash pink and lavender and gold upon sight.

"y-you're..." hoseok stutters, not unlike their first meeting, but he feels a choke upon his throat that stifles his speech. he does not realize that he is already crying. "you're _here_."

hyungwon smiles, and hoseok suddenly feels comfortably warm. it takes two short strides to close the distance between them, and the golden boy is quick to cup his cheek, and wipe the tears from his eyes with a swipe of his thumb. hyungwon is warm, like home, and he places his hand atop his own, his lips trembling as he attempts to stop his tears from falling.

"i _am_ here." hyungwon assures, his eyes swimming with gold and sky blue. hoseok inhales, a small smile forming upon his face when he catches the subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. "i told you that that would be the last time we would meet, did i not?"

hoseok bites down a quiet sob. "but it has been...so _long_." he chokes on his syllables. "i thought you already forgot."

"let us just say i am not the _best_ with navigation." there was a cheekiness to his statement, yet hoseok found no reason to form disbelief at his words. "i tried many times when i passed by your galaxy, but i always ended up in the wrong planet."

hoseok lets out a small chuckle, recalling how a faint glow would always be present in the gem from time to time. "so." he sniffles a bit, wiping the tears on his cheeks with the back of his palm. "are you going to stay this time?"

"sadly, _no_." hyungwon's face falls at his confession, and hoseok spies the slightest hints of dark grey and black in his peculiar hues. "i am in your galaxy for a diplomatic meeting, but i thought i could take a side trip to see you."

hoseok feels his cheeks redden. did the alien truly come back, just for _him_?

"you _know_ , to check if you forgot." hyungwon continues, his tone teasing.

hoseok stills and he chews down on his bottom lip, his pupils shaking as he diverts his gaze from the golden boy. "actually, _i-_ -"

"i _know_." hyungwon chuckles, and his speech denotes no hard feelings. instead, he cups hoseok's cheeks in both of his hands, his eyes glowing with the softest pink he has ever seen in his lifetime. "human memory is more fragile than ours. there is no need to worry, hoseok."

he feels shivers run down his spine at the other's mention of his moniker.

"so before i leave again, i would like to give you something worth remembering."

hoseok's face falls as he registers the word "leave", but he has no time to be sad when hyungwon's lips were already covering his own, melding upon his own soft tiers in a chaste, but lingering kiss. he closes his eyes and returns the favor, wrapping his arms around the tall alien's neck as hyungwon pulls him closer, his warm hands resting against his waist. they kiss for a while longer, before hyungwon remembers that humans need to breathe, and he pulls away from the liplock, knocking their foreheads together instead.

"the next time i return," hyungwon begins, his voice husky from the osculation. "i am taking you with me."

hoseok nods, his tears falling from his eyes once more as he traps the other in a tight embrace, not wanting to let go. he eventually does, and he wipes at his eyes as he waves goodbye at the alien-- _his_ alien--holding onto the gem that hung by his neck once more. the gem flashes pink, a soft red, and a deep purple, before it completely recedes to a soft, subtle glow.

 

*******

  
he is twenty five when he is woken up by incessant beeping and a bright light seeping through the small opening of his window.

this time, hoseok does not move from his bed, instead scooting over to the edge of the matress he had laid down in his now-empty floor. his walls are still decorated with the galaxy, but the cut-out stars are already put inside a box along with the rest of his belongings, all ready to be shipped to an orphanage for charity.

he hears two feet alight on his window sill, and the tell-tale scent of cinnamon and nutmeg has his heart racing a bit faster. the scent grows intense as the footsteps come closer, and he feels a dip on his mattress as his blanket is pulled off. he feels cold for a moment, yet the lithe arms that wrap around his torso and the soft lips that kiss the exposed skin of his neck more than make up for the warmth that is lost.

"we leave at the break of dawn." hyungwon whispers against his ear, and hoseok turns to bury his head upon the dip of the alien's strong chest. he is scared at the prospect of leaving earth, but the hand that strokes his back is enough to assure him of his decision.

hoseok sleeps his most peaceful slumber in twenty five years.

 

*******

  
he is gazing at a purple sunset, and it isn't long until two moons rise to the sky for his admiration.

hoseok is thirty in earth years, yet he feels like he has been in another galaxy for all of his life. hyungwon's planet is not so far from how earth is, save for the higher technology, the pink skies, and the mint green waters that surround the teal land. he wears a choker on his neck to aid him with his speech, not unlike the one hyungwon used in their first meeting, and the gem that hung on his neck now sits on his ring finger, and it has been there for almost five years.

in earth records, hoseok is recorded as _deceased_ , and he knows his empty "grave" lies next to his parents' own.

he finds the fact a bit creepy, but he is happy. and it _is_ quite amusing to tease hyungwon about necrophilia, from time to time.

"penny for your thoughts, darling?" hyungwon sits on the empty space beside him, and hoseok finds it automatic to scoot closer. he still smells like cinnamon and nutmeg, and hoseok inhales a large whiff as he leans against his broad shoulder.

"it won't cost you _that_ much." hoseok answers, nuzzling against the crook of his lover's neck as he speaks. "i was just thinking about how happy i've been since i came here with you."

hyungwon chuckles, and his smile reminds hoseok of all the reasons why he had no second thoughts of coming with, even though it meant leaving everything that is familiar to him in another galaxy. "that is good." hyungwon finds his hand, and hoseok intertwines their fingers.  "i would not know what to do if you suddenly regretted your choice."

"i would _never_." hoseok gives his larger hand a squeeze, and hyungwon massages circles against the back of his palm with his thumb. hyungwon sighs, and they watch the sunset in pure, comfortable silence.

"hoseok?" the blonde calls, barely above a whisper.

"hm?"

"i love you."

it has been the millionth time he has heard this, but hoseok's heart still leaps for joy every time.

"i love you too, hyungwon."

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAE HYUNGWON U ALIEN SHIT


End file.
